Elliot (Miners Beach) Falls – Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

You won’t find Elliot (Miners Beach) Falls in very many of the books and guides to Michigan waterfalls, but there’s a good chance you’ve seen pictures of it featured in some of Michigan’s tourism campaigns. A waterfall of two drops of only three or four feet, Elliot Falls draws visitors and keeps them coming back thanks to the beautiful scenery that surrounds it.

A small creek makes a small drop and then makes a short plunge off a rock ledge before emptying into Lake Superior, and the surrounding area features all of the things that draw visitors to Pictured Rocks: the Big Lake, sandy beach, rock cliffs on the shoreline, and easy access. There are a lot of colors that combine here to make a beautiful landscape, and it takes just a short five minute walk or less to reach this waterfall.

Directions: From Munising, head east on H-58 for several miles and turn north on the road that leads to Miners Castle, Miners Beach and Miners Falls. Follow the signs towards the beach but when you reach a T intersection, head to the right and the parking for the Lakeshore Trail instead of heading towards the beach. A well-worn path leads to the beach and an instant view of this small yet beautiful waterfall. Potato Patch Falls can be reached from the same parking lot by heading east and uphill on the Lakeshore Trail.